That Fat Guy in a Red Suit
by Kiarene
Summary: Complete Vegeta is determined to prove to the kids that Santa does not exist! Warnings: bit of yaoi, fluff.
1. Default Chapter

This is my very belated Christmas story for 2002. *laughs* 

Posted: 5th Jan 2002

Warnings: a bit of fluff and the second part may be considered too informative…and no sex!! *looks around as she loses half her readers* Yep, a change from the stories I usually write. No lemon, no lime, no porn. 

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ… And my apologies if I get some of my facts wrong; I did as much research as I could (without moving from my computer)… 

Thanks: to Lully for beta-reading this! 

Quick background: Somehow, Vegeta and Goku are together, and Bulma and Chi Chi are together. The three boys spend time with both sets of parents. They call Vegeta 'Otousan' and Goku 'Dad'. 

And if anyone is still left... 

That Fat Guy in a Red Suit (1/2) 

Vegeta dragged himself out of the gravity training room, looking up at the darkening sky with a groan. It was starting to snow lightly and dusk was falling. 

Grumbling under his breath, he started to walk back to the main house, a series of domes connected by walkways. Each half-spherical structure constituted a set of rooms: one for him and Kakarrot, one for their sons and a larger one for the main living area. It was a neat and modular arrangement. At present, the white domes were gaily decorated with a thin frosting of snow and gaudy streamers of tiny blinking lights. 

It was _that_ time of the year again. The Saiyan prince did not mind the cold; heck he loved snow, and he did not really mind the fact that all three of their sons were at home for the holidays, despite his constant complaints. 

No, what he really detested was that baka Ningen holiday. Sure, it was nice to get gifts and he did like the feasting, but it was annoying to see how the whole world suddenly went crazy. Their sons were practically bouncing off the walls, and everyone was suddenly visiting everyone else, grinning like idiots and exchanging gaudy gifts that would probably be returned to the mall the following week. And it was even more mortifying to see his own _mate_ get all cheerful and sunny like an overgrown kid.

It was …weird. Puzzling. And annoying…extremely annoying.

He had taken to spending more time in the gravity room, hiding from his family when they wanted to go out shopping, or bake cookies, or decorate the house, or do something …_festive_. He shuddered when he remembered that time a couple of years ago when Trunks had demanded that his 'tousan bring him to see Santa Claus. His 'kasaan had been doing that for years now, but suddenly that five-year old brat wanted his 'tousan and nobody else but his 'tousan. Oh Kami… He felt a headache coming on just recalling that particular fiasco. 

Stepping through the main door, he paused as the scent of fresh pine and chocolate assaulted his senses. Suddenly, brawny arms swept him up. 

"Mistletoe attack!!" Goku planted a loud smacking kiss on the startled prince's lips. 

"Wha…?" 

"Mistletoe! If you stand under mistletoe, you'll get a kiss!" Vegeta looked up to see a small wreath above his head, complete with a pair of shiny red balls…_berries_… seated within a nest of spiky emerald leaves. 

"Oh…right. I forgot." The older Saiyan's mood picked up a little. Well, not everything was annoying about the holiday traditions. He pulled his mate down for another kiss. A proper kiss this time. 

"Mmm…" 

"Hey dad! Look at what I made!" A high-pitched voice piped up. 

Vegeta scowled down at the black-haired interruption while his father blinked and stuttered, trying to switch from 'lover' to 'dad' mode. "Oh, Goten…heh heh…uhm… what did you make?"

"A list for Santa!" Vegeta rolled his eyes as he stomped towards their room to shower. Yet _another_ thing about the holiday that irked him. No, scratch that. That was probably the thing which irritated him _most_ about Christmas. 

That obese guy in the horrendous red suit. 

-----

Dinner was nosier than usual that night, as four-year old Goten and five-year old Trunks chattered on excitedly about their visit to the mall the next day. Now that he was twelve, Gohan pretended to be cool about the festivities, but it was obvious that the normally serious and studious boy was affected by the holiday mood as well. 

Goku had agreed to bring the kids to the shopping center the next day so that they could buy their presents and also present their wish list to Santa. Their mothers were not around; they had decided to take a break from the hectic festivities and their maternal duties this year. Bulma had taken Chi Chi to the Bahamas for two weeks in the sun and some 'us' time. And so, instead of spending alternate weeks over at each of their parents' places, the kids were now spending two entire weeks at their fathers' house. 

Including Christmas. Oh joy. 

Vegeta's frown deepened as the two younger boys compared their wish lists. As he opened his mouth, Goku caught his eye with a pleading look and a discreet shake of his head. Ohhh fine. He hesitated for a few moments and then shut his mouth with a snap. 

Knowing that Vegeta was close to blowing up, Goku quickly intervened. "Uhh, boys, are you both done with dinner now? It's almost time for your cartoon hour."

As soon as the two boys skipped out from the room to see their favorite cartoons, Vegeta spoke up. "You do realize, Kakarrot, that there is no such person as Santa Claus."

"There isn't??" But the wide, shining eyes of shock didn't fool the prince for a second. "Hahahahaha…. Of course I know that, Vegeta. I was just kidding."

"And do the brats know that too?"

"Well…" 

"Gohan!" Vegeta barked. The older lad had been trying to pick up his plate and move away quietly, not wishing to be drawn into taking sides. "You do know that fat guy in the red suit is a fake, ne?"

Gohan nodded and then quickly made his escape to the kitchen. 

"So we all know that. Yet, would somebody please tell me why we continue to deceive our sons like this? And why you all continue to prattle on as if that fake was real?" Vegeta spat in frustration. "It's all so bloody stupid! In fact, the more I think about it, the more ridiculous I think this whole myth is. And I am going to tell them that …"

"Wait, Vegeta! Don't do that!" Goku caught the prince's wrist as he stood up. "They'll feel so crushed!" 

Vegeta glared at his mate. "But they will definitely find out about it one day. Brat! When and how did you find out?" 

Gohan had been trying to sneak past the dining table to go back to his room, but no such luck. "Uhh…when I was about seven I think…"

"And how did you find out?" Vegeta sat back down and kicked out another chair with a foot. "Sit."

Gohan sat, seeing no escape. "Well… I had been getting suspicious since I was six or so. I mean, certain things just didn't add up; how can there be more than one Santa appearance at different malls at the same time? Or how can he deliver presents to the millions of kids all over the world, all within one night? And so on… But then I thought; the Z sensei can do all these and more, so maybe Santa Claus is a sensei like us too…" 

"But…?" Goku listened with interest. He just realized that he had never asked his elder son about the issue before. 

Gohan sighed, raking a hand through his dark hair uneasily under his fathers' intense looks. "I finally realized the Christmas when I was seven. I decided to prove to myself that there was a Santa Claus, so I pretended to sleep early and then sneaked out to wait in the living room. And…ahm…when I saw you filling my stocking, Dad… I somehow knew that you had been doing it every year, and I realized then and there that there was no Santa Claus."

"Oh…" Goku remembered how quiet Gohan had been the next morning, but he had not thought much about it. 

"And how did you feel?" Vegeta looked at the adolescent intently. 

"Uhm… bad. At first." Vegeta shot his mate an 'I told you so' look as Gohan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Ano…Dad… I don't blame you, really. I did not know what to say to you after that. I felt betrayed and angry and uncertain… but after a few days, I realized that you did it to make me happy. So I decided to keep my mouth shut, and soon after that, Goten was born and suddenly, well..." He shrugged. "Later on, I got over it. I also let slip that I knew, and that I didn't mind playing along because it was nice to receive presents."

"We can give you presents; we don't need to pretend that it was some fat guy in a red suit who gave them to you." Vegeta rolled his eyes in exasperation. 

"Well, yeah… But it was fun in a way…" Gohan struggled to find the words to say. "I mean, there are so many legends and myths out there, and this was a rather fun legend… you know? Like the legend of the Super Saiyan."

"That was not a legend." The prince looked highly insulted.  

"Ok, bad example." Gohan replied hurriedly.

"Yeah, but until I first became one, nobody knew for sure." Goku interjected.

"Kakarrot. That is _not _the point. The Super Saiyan is real. Santa Claus is _not_." Vegeta crossed his arms, frowning. "And our sons should know that."

"Well, yeah…"

"Either way, they would feel bad. But would you rather they feel bad now? Or later, when they have spent more years believing in the phony? Forget those onnas. Don't _you _feel stupid about deliberately deceiving our sons?"

Goku winced at the bald statement. Put that way, it did sound really bad. "Well, yeah… But how will we tell them?"

Vegeta cocked his head to the side curiously. "What do you mean, how do we tell them? We just tell them… say it straight out." 

"Ummm…"

"Fine, if you're going to be so cowardly about it, then I will tell them." Vegeta scowled and stood up. "Bakas." 

-----

"Brats." Both boys paused in the middle of their board game and looked up. When they came to stay with their fathers, the two younger boys shared a room while Gohan had his own. The boys' dome was divided into thirds; the two bedrooms opened up to the corridor leading to the central common areas, and the shared bathroom occupied the last third of the dome.

"About your visit to the mall tomorrow…" Vegeta trailed off, suddenly finding it awkward to vocalize his thoughts. 

"Awww 'tousan! You're not going to say we can't go right?" Trunks immediately complained as he pointed accusingly to Goku. "Dad promised!"

"No, that wasn't what I wanted to say." Vegeta glared down at his son. "Kakarrot will still be bringing all of you tomorrow."

"But?" Trunks injected. Goten kept quiet; he wasn't as fearless of the bad-tempered prince as the prince's son, but he did look worried as well. 

Vegeta cleared his throat and looked towards his mate, but the taller male only stood to the side with a smug 'I told you it won't be easy' look on his face. Gohan hung around nearby, hoping not to get drawn into what he foresaw to be a messy explanation, yet he was still curious to see how the prince would handle the situation. 

"Um..well, about that fat guy in the red suit…"

"'tousan?" Trunks asked again after the silence stretched. Uneasily, he recalled his father's rather unflattering comments about Santa Claus from the unfortunate time when he and his mother had managed to pester his grouchy father into bringing him down to see the jolly man. There had been a huge argument between his parents that night after they came home, and he had felt so bad that he never dared ask his father again. 

Vegeta sighed and raked a hand through his hair. Fuck… Here goes nothing. "There is no such person as Santa Claus." 

There was another long pause. The three older Saiyans tensed. And then Trunks and Goten burst into laughter. "You're kidding, right 'tousan?" 

"No. Why would I lie?" Vegeta looked hard at a certain red-faced male. Goku shifted uncomfortably. "That fat guy in the red suit is just a legend. He is not real."

Goten's eyes widened. "But… we… everyone has seen him…" 

"That is some person the mall hired to play the part. How do you think he can appear in shopping centers all around the world at the same time?"

"Split form technique!" Trunks announced triumphantly. "If you all can do it…" 

"Yes, into two, three bodies! Not over a thousand over forms! And what about…" The questions and explanations bounced back and forth as Vegeta tried to convince their young sons logically, while the two boys remained stubbornly unconvinced. They had grown up amidst people with impressive powers, and with their demi-Saiyan heritage, Santa Claus's amazing feats did not seem all that amazing after all. 

"Arrgh! I give up!" Vegeta wanted to blast something, preferably the baka who came up with the myth in the first place… And after that, all the baka ningens who thought it would be fun to propagate such a ridiculous rumor. "Fine, believe in that crap…" He stomped out of the bedroom in a black mood, muttering under his breath. "Just don't …wailing… finally discover…baka ningens…baka holiday…" 

-----

Breakfast was rather subdued the next morning. The two younger boys ate quietly, and Vegeta was worried for a while that he might have been too abrupt with them. 

"Dad? Is it really true?" Goten suddenly asked. 

Goku sighed in guilt and nodded. 

"But…" Trunks scowled as he poked viciously at his egg. "I… well… I was thinking about what you said last night, and… 'tousan, would you come down to the mall with us?" He blurted out the last bit in a rush as he looked up at his father. "I know you said you will never bring us there again, and I promised not to ask you, but I need to know after what you said last night and I…"

"I'll come, Trunks." Vegeta softened his clipped statement with a nod and a small smile. Trunks looked down at his food again, embarrassed at his sudden outburst. "Arigato, Otousan."

"Well, what do you think, Vegeta?" Goku asked as they did the dishes, having instructed the boys to go and change. With the speed garnered from their training, it was literally a breeze. Two blurs moved around the kitchen; one washed and dried the plates while the other cleaned the table and cleared out the coffee grounds. 

The shorter Saiyan shrugged. "Good that they thought about it." Inwardly, he was strangely pleased that his own son had asked him to accompany him to The Hellhole, as he termed it. He didn't like shopping much, but to have a collection of shops and eateries in one place was certainly convenient. However, he absolutely refused to go down during the holidays if he could help it. Still, the fact that his son had looked up to him for support gave him a nice feeling, and he supposed he could brave the hordes and screaming kids just this once for him. 

Goku just smiled as they walked back to their own bedroom. He had been a little surprised at Trunks' request and more than a little surprised at his normally surly mate's ready agreement. Vegeta had often complained that he detested crowds. "It was really nice of you to come along for Trunks." 

"Hn." Vegeta rolled his eyes as he changed into a pair of dark slacks and a crimson sweater. "He had better not expect it to be a regular occurrence."

-----

Two hours later, Vegeta was beginning to seriously regret his decision. They had been standing in the queue all that time just to see the fat, red guy that sat on a dais at the other end. Kids all around them were screaming, wailing and chattering excitedly in their shrill voices. Vegeta had wandered off to look for a snack, but when he returned, the snaking line did not appeared to have moved at all. With an irritated sigh, Vegeta folded his arms. Closing his eyes with a frown, he waited… for all of 10 minutes before he growled and stalked away again, ostensibly to look for food again. 

Finally, it was their turn. Vegeta watched as his son walked slowly up the steps, noticing how the lavender-haired boy seemed less enthusiastic than usual. At first, he didn't seem to want to climb onto the broad, red-velvet covered lap, but then, a shrewd look crossed his face and he hopped up. 

"So! Have you been..." 

"Here." Trunks cut him off and passed a piece of paper to Santa. The fat man looked surprised initially at the young boy's curtness but then shrugged it off, supremely relieved that he didn't have to listen to another brat rattling off his list. As he looked at the slightly crumpled paper, he didn't notice the boy on his lap poking curiously at his rounded stomach nor tugging gently at his white beard with a look of horror. 

"Now, boy, you do realize that I cannot give you all of the toys that you have asked for," 

"Uhh, that's ok. Umm, I've got to go." Trunks interrupted the oft-recited speech and jumped off the startled man's lap. 

"Goten! 'tousan was right! Santa is a fake!" Trunks whispered to his companion in betrayed horror. "I poked his stomach, and it felt just like a pillow, not a real stomach! And when I pulled his beard, I saw it separate from his chin! It was just a fake one, hooked onto his ears!"

"What??" Goten's mouth dropped open. Suddenly, the normally placid boy got angry. "How dare he trick us?" And before Trunks' astonished eyes, Vegeta's amused ones and Goku's embarrassed face, the young spiky-haired boy practically stomped up to the fake Santa Claus.

Goten yanked hard on the white beard, and the hairy attachment promptly tore from the hooks around the unfortunate man's ears. "Oww! Why you rude little…"

"You're a fake!" Goten yelled indignantly, pointing a short finger up in the man's now beardless face accusingly. 

"Now, wait a minute, kid…" The fat man started to sweat nervously as the kids around started crying. He could see the store manager heading his way and he blurted out in panic. "I'm just a helper for Santa!"

"Huh?"

Plastering a broad jolly grin to his face, he blustered on. "Yeah! I mean, the big man's really busy you know… That's why he has helpers like us, so that he can still keep all you …wonderful kids happy!" 

Goku face-vaulted and Vegeta wanted to puke. But all the kids, including Goten and Trunks, bought it, lapping the excuse up eagerly. Goten handed back the clump of fake white hair sheepishly. "Uh, I'm really sorry, Mr Santa helper…"

Vegeta turned to Goku with a growl, pulling his taller mate down by the front of his forest green sweater. "I can't take this bullshit much longer. So unless you don't mind me blowing something up, I'll be waiting outside for you. You have 5 minutes to get the brats out."

Tbc…

-----


	2. Chapter 2

**That Fat Guy in a Red Suit (2/2)******

Goku crawled into their large bed that night, a worried expression on his face. Vegeta had been really quiet since their disastrous trip to the mall, but while the two younger kids had been too excited by the new turn of events to notice their shorter father's black mood, Goku and his older son had not. "Koi, are you ok?"

"Hn." Eyes remained stubbornly fixated on the ceiling.

"Vegeta…"

The prince abruptly sat up in bed, obsidian eyes flashing dangerously. "I was so close! No, there must be another way… The brats were almost convinced!"__

Goku fell back on his rump in shock. "Huh..wha..?"

It turned out that the prince wasn't just simply sulking; he had been thinking hard of a plan as well. "Look.  The stories say that fat fraud lives in the North Pole, right? A house or something like that? Well, tomorrow we'll bring them up to search the place. If we prove to them that no such place exists, then they have to realize that the fat guy doesn't exist!" Vegeta crowed. "I'm brilliant!" __

"But…it's Christmas' Eve tomorrow!" __

"So?" 

Goku sighed, recognizing the stubborn look on his lover's face, and gave in. He couldn't really come up with a good excuse, and Vegeta was unlikely to acquiesce even if he did. '"Oh, all right…" He wrapped his arms around the smaller prince and pulled him closer with a grin, intending to take advantage of his mate's sudden upswing in mood. __

----

After breakfast was cleared away the next morning, Vegeta demanded, "Where is that fat guy in red supposed to reside?" __

"He means where does Santa Claus live?" Goku explained. "Directly above the North Pole, right?"

"Yep." Goten nodded enthusiastically. "It's a workshop where he makes toys for all of us!" 

"All right then. Get dressed." Vegeta stood up with a smirk. "We're all going to the North Pole!" __

The boys quickly ran to their room to change, excited at the thought of meeting Santa Claus. Goku watched them go with a small frown of worry. "I hope they won't be too disappointed…"

"Tch." Vegeta sniffed. "They'll get over it. I think it's more important that they know the truth. And remember, it's your fault in the first place." At his mate's hurt look, he rolled his eyes. "_Partially_ your fault."

Goku sighed. On one hand, he liked seeing his kids happy, and he had personally found the tale of Santa Claus to be enchanting when he first heard it from Chi Chi. Since then, he had enjoyed playing dress-up for his sons and thought it was a harmless bit of sweetness and fun that added to the festivities in winter. On the other hand, when stated baldly by the frank prince, it did sound really bad. They had been deliberately deceiving their children and setting them up for future disappointment. __

A few minutes later, five warmly dressed Saiyans were gathered in their living room. All were wearing their thickest woolens and fleece-lined jackets. Goku fussed a bit as he tried to get the boys to wear another jacket over their current ones, while the boys shifted impatiently.  Although they were only half-Saiyans, their metabolism was high enough that they rarely suffered from the chill, even in the coldest part of the winter season. __

"Daad…" Gohan whined, a little embarrassed. He was practically a teenager, for Kami's sake! Bad enough that his mother still fussed over him, but to have his dad hovering around was truly exasperating. "Let's go already."__

"Enough, Kakarrot." Vegeta snapped. "I hardly think we'll die there… We are Saiyans after all."

"Well, ok." Goku smiled sheepishly. He sat Goten on his shoulders and then reached for both his older son's and his mate's hands while Vegeta held onto Trunks' with his other hand. And the party of five winked out. __

They reappeared, gasping at the blast of frigid air. As they hovered in mid-air, their breath coming out in little visible puffs, they turned and surveyed the famous North Pole.

It was pitch black.

"Why is it nighttime here, 'tousan?" Trunks whispered to his father. All the boys were shocked; the North Pole was not anything like they had imagined. They had thought it would be a snowy, cheerful landscape, sunshiny and dotted with snow-laden, Christmassy-type trees. __

Instead, what little they could see by the glow that emanated from the hovering Saiyans revealed that the icy, snowy landscape was starkly bare and dark. The white expanse beneath them reflected and refracted the yellows and blues of their energy signatures into an eerie greenish mix. __

It was all really eye-opening, especially with the arctic winds howling in their ears. Their fathers' ki shield helped to muffle the whistling and lessen the chilly winds, but it was still unnerving.__

"Well, that's the interesting thing about the North Pole, Trunks." Vegeta replied gruffly, glad that he had awoken early to read up before breakfast. "For six months of the year, it's daytime all the time at the North Pole and nighttime all the time for the other six months." __

"You mean it's a six-month long night?" Gohan asked incredulously. 

"Yep." Goku was glad Vegeta had given him a briefing after doing all the research. __

The three older Saiyans powered up, allowing their visible aura to expand and lighting up the inky darkness. At the same time, their raised ki helped keep them warm. Goku brought Goten down from his shoulders and hugged him close to his body, allowing the young boy to share in his body heat. Even Vegeta held Trunks close, wrapping a protective arm around his son's waist. Trunks gave a pleased sigh and sank into the warm circle as he continued looking around curiously. __

"Where's the North Pole?" Goten asked after they flew around in slow circles for a while. 

"This _is _the North Pole, Goten." 

"But, where's the red and white pole?" Trunks looked confused at Goku's answer. 

"Kakarrot is right. This is the North geographic pole, or True North. The northernmost part of this planet. There is no red and white pole to mark it." Vegeta pointed to the ice below. "See that? It's all ice. We're actually right above the Arctic Ocean and the North Pole is mainly sea-ice. There is no way Santa Claus could live here." 1

"Umm….maybe he stayed further out?" Goten asked hopefully. Catching Vegeta's eye, Goku gave a quick nod. Vegeta rolled his eyes with an 'oh all right' expression, and increasing their speed, they flew on. __

As they flew further away, the ice started to break up, and they could occasionally see jagged channels of greenish water between the large ice floes. They did not find the 'red and white pole' or any possible evidence that Santa Claus could stay at the North Pole, but they did see the artic wildlife. Polar bears reared up awkwardly on their hind legs with curious looks as the glowing figures flew over them while walruses lay lazily at the edge of the ice. __

"So fat!" Trunks pointed to a particularly large bull elephant and erupted in giggles. Occasionally, the boys would pipe up with questions and their fathers tried their best to answer.

"Where are the penguins?" Goten wondered. 

Gohan broke in excitedly before either father could reply. "Those are found only at the South Pole." He smirked. "I learnt that in school."  

"Is that a …rabbit?" Gohan asked in surprise. Sharp Saiyan eyes immediately turned to see the tiny blob on the snow-covered ice below. 

"An arctic hare." Vegeta nodded. "They're larger and hardier than the rabbits you know."

Sparse tundra vegetation now dotted the landscape and herds of reindeer and musk ox grazed placidly. Arctic foxes and wolves froze warily in mid-movement, and a large snowy owl flapped away in alarm as Trunks naughtily lobbed a small ki ball at it.__

"Otousan? If that was the North geographic pole, then what about the magnetic pole?" Gohan tried to recall his geography lessons. 

"It's not the same; it's further south, somewhere in Artic Canada."

"Then, what about the …ahm….lights that I read can be seen up here?" The adolescent's face crinkled in concentration. __

"The Aurora Borealis?" Vegeta cocked his head. 

"Oh yeah, right! That's the name... term I was trying to remember!" __

"What's that?" Goten interrupted. __

"It's a display of lights also known as the Northern Lights or fox fires." Goku looked at his mate, who nodded. "And they normally appear near the North Pole here. The South Pole has its own Southern Lights too."__

"But we didn't see anything just now." Trunks felt cheated.__

"Kakarrot wasn't referring to the True North, where we came from. There is a third kind of North Pole, called the Geomagnetic North Pole, in Greenland, and the Aurora Borealis is commonly seen at this North Pole." 2

"Have you seen it, 'tousan?" Trunks thought it all sounded very interesting. When his father shook his head, he said excitedly. "Then, can we go?"

Vegeta shrugged and flew closer to his mate, lightly gripping his shoulder as Gohan did the same. The one Internet site he found on the auroras didn't have any pictures and he wasn't all that excited. He had seen such celestial phenomena before; he had spent a fair amount of time traveling in space. "Do you know where it is, Kakarrot? About a thousand plus, maybe a thousand three, miles west of the True North." __

They stopped in mid-air as the brawny Saiyan tried to get his bearings. He wasn't sure just how he did it; it came rather naturally to him, but over the years since he had mastered in Instant Transmission technique, his sense of direction and distance judgment had improved tremendously. 

Vegeta may have thought that he had seen quite a number of astounding things in his lifetime, but the sight that greeted them when they reappeared took his breath away as well. The Saiyan family floated open-mouthed and wide-eyed, utterly mesmerized as bands and curtains and wisps of vibrating color danced around them. Beautiful, haunting streamers of red, green, blue and violet flickered against the inky velvet night sky, constantly changing and dynamic, constantly hypnotic and bewitching. __

"Wow." The boys were speechless. 

"It's beautiful." Goku whispered. "Magnificent." 

Vegeta could only nod mutely in agreement. He had read that it was the largest display of lights in the world, and very beautiful, but mere words could not adequately describe the dazzling splendor around them. 

They were not sure how long they spent admiring the resplendent display before them; they only came to when their stomachs started growling. The two younger boys were starting to shiver slightly as well, and so, despite the boys' protests that they were fine, their fathers decided it was time to go back. __

"After all, there will always be other occasions!" Goku chuckled just before he took them home.

It was late afternoon when they appeared in their living room again. Vegeta lowered his son to the floor. "So, do you believe me now?"

Both Trunks and Goten nodded slowly. "And how do you feel?" Goku asked carefully.

The two boys thought for a few seconds, and then Goten admitted. "A little sad…"

"But not too sad." Trunks finished the sentence. 

"Why?" Gohan looked surprised.

"Well, we don't need Santa Claus when we have you to give us presents…" Goten grinned up widely at his two fathers.

"And he's just Santa Claus; he's not you." Trunks injected. Japan's richest boy waved his hand flippantly. "No big deal. It is just presents…"

"For you…" Goten gave his best friend a sour look, but then burst out laughing. "And seeing the _real_ North Pole was so much better."

"Yeah!" Trunks' matching grin was just as happy. It had been a fabulous day. His usually gruff father had carried him the whole time during the trip, and although the prince had taken them to the North Pole to prove that Santa Claus was just a myth, it _had_ been all for them. Their fathers had taken all that trouble just for them, especially his birth father. Despite his shivering, he felt a warm fuzzy glow on the inside, and impulsively, he hugged his 'tousan around the waist. "Arigato, 'tousan, Dad."   __

"Go and get changed out of the clothes, brats." Vegeta didn't really know how to handle the sudden display of affection, but he was pleased nonetheless. 

"Aww, thanks Dad, but there was really no need to get us stockings." Gohan pointed to the row of five red stockings hanging over the fireplace as he pulled off his hat, jacket and scarf.  __

"Yeah, now that we know that Santa Claus isn't real." Trunks took off his jacket and accessories, hanging them up neatly. 

The two fathers watched as their boys skipped back to their bedroom to change and then questioned simultaneously. "Was it you who put up the stockings?" __

"You mean, you didn't put it up?" Goku asked in confusion. "Well, maybe it was Chi Chi or Bulma, but I thought they were in the Bahamas?" 

"Maybe one of the others. Maybe it was Baldy; it's just the kind of thing he would do." Vegeta shrugged, frowning. "Though, I thought I had told you not to give anyone else the key." __

"I didn't." Goku was really puzzled.

Vegeta looked at the stocking with his name stitched on it and peered in. His eyes widened in shock as he pulled out a handful of candies. "These… these are traditional Saiyan sweets…I've not seen these since I was …back on Vegetasei…"__

"How…?" Both males snapped their heads up as they heard the faint jingle of bells.__

End 

1 The North Polar Region consists primarily of water, the Arctic Ocean, surrounded by land. The South Polar Region consists of land, the Antarctic continent, surrounded by water, the Southern Ocean.  

2 It is the north end of the axis of the magnetosphere, the geomagnetic field that surrounds earth. Ions from the sun travel outwards at high speeds in a stream of plasma (ions) known as the solar wind. As the solar wind interacts with the edge of the earth's magnetic field, some of the particles are trapped by it and they follow the lines of magnetic force down into the ionosphere. When the particles collide with the gases in the ionosphere they start to glow, producing the auroras, northern and southern.


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